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E. W. NEWELL.

PERCUSSION FUSE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I917.

1,309,769. Patented July 15, 1919.

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Edward WRZWQH EDWARD W. NEWELL,

OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKECOMPANY, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

PERCUSSION-FUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1919.

Application filed. March 3, 1917. Serial No. 152,223.

i provide a percussion fuse mechanism of simple construction, whichispositive and reliable in action, and which is adapted to be cheaplymanufactured.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a central sectional view of apro ectile, showing my improved fuse mechanism applied thereto, theparts being shown in normal position; Fig. 2 a similar view, showmg theparts in position just after impact; and

Fig. 3 a detail view of the spring release ring.

According to the construction shown in the drawing, there is screwedinto; the nose end of the projectile body portion 1, a cylindricalcasing 2 rovided at its rear end with a primer 3. Ad acent to the primer3, a plug 4 is screwed into the casing havinga longitu-- dinal' bore forthe reception of a firing plunger 5.

provided with an opening compression of the ring.

A closely wound spring 6 is secured at one end to the plug 4 and has itsother end securedto a block- 7 which is loose1-y mounted on an enlarged.portion 8 of the firing plunger 5 and is adapted to engage a collar 9carried by said plunger.

The outer end .of of the/plunger 5 is provided with an annular groove 10within which is mounted a spring ring 11 which normally engages theouter end of a cylindrical inertia member 12.

The bore 13 of the ring 11 is such that when the ring is unrestrained,the same can be passed over the end of the portion 8 and 14 to permitThe nose 15 of the projectile provided with arearwardly extendingcylindrical section 16havin the rear end chamfered.

In assembling the parts, the plug 4 is screwed into the casing 2 withthe firing plunger 5 mounted in position, the inertia the enlargedportion 8 I member 12 is then placed in position, and the spring ring 11is mounted in the groove 10. The nose 15 is now screwed into the casing2 and as the nose is screwed in, the chamfered end thereof engages thering 11 so as to collapse the same to the position shown in Fig. 1.After the fuse members are assembled, the casing 2 is screwed into thebody portion 1 of the projectile.

When the fired projectile strikes, the inertia of the member 12 causesits forward movement, carrying with it the spring ring 11, which in turnpulls out the firing plunger 5 andstretches the spring 6. p

The ring 11 is finally pushed out into an enlarged. bore 17 of the nose15 where the expand, so as to release the firing plunger 5, as shown inFig. 2. The plunger is then thrown rearwardly by the action of thestretched spring 6 and hits the primer 3 to explode the projectile.

'It will be noted that in the normal position shown in Fig. .1, thefiring lunger is held. away from the primer 3 by the ring 11 engagingthe groove 10, but when the plunger is released after firing, the samewill be free to move rearwardly after the spring has returned to itsnormal position, so as to hit the'primer 3.

The spring 6 may be placed under a slight initial stretch by making theinertia member ring is free to 12 of such length that when the parts areas sembled said member will press the ring 11 outwardly, thus slightly[pulling out the plunger 5 and thereby stretching the spring. Byplacing, the spring under an initial stretch, the parts will beprevented from rattling when in normal position.

The above described fuse construction is, well adapted for use inconnection with torpedoes, since the same is water tight.

Having now described my invention, what I claim. as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A fuse mechanism comprising a firing plunger, a spring acting on saidplunger, a collapsible ring normally engaging said plunger, and a memberoperated by inertia upon impact of the projectile for moving said ringand plunger and thereby stretching the spring. I

2. ffuse mechanism comprising a firing plunger, a spring acting on saidplunger, a. collapsible ring normally engaging said plunger, a memberoperated by inertia upon mally collapsed into a groove inthe' plunger,impact of the projectile for moving said ring a member engaging saidring and movable and plunger and thereby stretching 'the by, inertiauponimpact ofthe projectile for spring, and means for permitting theexpanmoving said ring to first stretch the spring 5 sion of the ringduring its .movement to and then permit the release of the ring and 15thereby release the plunger. the retraction of the plunger. 3. In a fusemechanism, the combination In testimony whereof I hereunto set my with afiring plunger, of a casing, a spring hand. secured to said casing andoperatively con- 10 nected to said plunger, a spring ring nor- EDWARD W.NEWELL.

